Afghanistan: National Development Strategy

The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What advice they have given to the Afghan Government regarding the design and implementation of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy process in order to ensure that data are collected from a wide cross-section of the people; and how they intend to support civil society participation in this process.

Baroness Amos: DfID is currently advising the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (NDS) working group on the design and implementation of a process to prepare the NDS. This has included advice on the most appropriate way to gather and present data from across Afghanistan. DfID is currently examining further ways to assist the working group.
	DfID intends to provide advice and support to gather and use existing data on the nature and causes of poverty, and develop a plan for gathering any additional data needed for the final NDS. Civil society and non-governmental organisations will be represented in an external advisory group and asked to provide regular inputs into the preparation of the strategy. DfID is currently examining how to ensure full consultation during the NDS process, including providing support on an Afghanistan-wide communications strategy for the NDS.

Animal Welfare: Export of Live Horses for Slaughter

Lord Higgins: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress they have made towards banning the export of live horses for slaughter.

Lord Bach: The Government welcome the new EU rules on the protection of animals during transport that were agreed at the end of 2004. These rules will come into affect in January 2007. They include specific welfare measures sought by this Government and equine welfare organisations that will significantly improve the welfare of horses. We are discussing the effect of these changes with equine organisations to see how they can best be operated in the UK and how they relate to national rules on minimum values.

Avian Flu

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they have made with the Belgium Government to ascertain whether the two eagles smuggled into Belgium and found to be carrying the HSN 1 virus (avian influenza) had the opportunity to transmit the virus to (a) European birds; and (b) humans; and, if so, what answer they have received.

Lord Bach: The Belgium Government made a presentation to the Standing Committee of Food Chain and Animal Health on 11 November 2004 to report on the incident of two mountain hawk eagles illegally imported into Belgium. They confirmed that the infected birds of prey were found by customs checking hand luggage at Brussels airport and that they never left the airport border inspection post. They confirmed that the birds had no opportunity to transmit the virus to either European birds or to humans.

Common Agricultural Policy

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have received any representations from Members of the European Parliament on reform of the common agricultural policy; and what were the broad nature of these representations.

Lord Bach: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs met the President of the European Parliament's Agriculture and Rural Development Committee on 8 June 2005. They discussed the handling of the sugar reform dossier during the UK's presidency, among other subjects.
	The Secretary of State also met members of the European Parliament during the College of Presidents visit to London on 10 June 2005, but CAP reform was not discussed.
	The Secretary of State will address the European Parliament's Agriculture and Rural Development Committee on 12 July 2005, and take questions from the committee following her address.

Common Agricultural Policy

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What approximate proportion of current common agricultural policy appropriations would be left for the 15 member states, prior to the 10 recent accession states' inclusion, were total expenditure spread over the whole membership, on the existing figures, as a reduction of the present 40 per cent figure.

Lord Bach: Estimates of budgetary expenditure for 2006 show that if common agricultural policy direct payments were to be made available at the full rate to producers in the 10 member states which acceded in 2004, then direct payments to the "EU15" member states would have to be reduced by around 12 to 13 per cent in order to constrain expenditure to the same level.

Common Agricultural Policy

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have anything to add to the Prime Minster's Answer on 29 June (HC Deb, col. 1293–94) raising the possibility of the abolition of the European Union common agricultural policy.

Lord Bach: We have called for a fundamental review of the whole EU budget, reporting in time for us to be able—midway through the next financial perspective—to alter its structure and equip the EU to deal with the challenges of the 21st century.
	We need a debate on what citizens of the EU want from the money they put into the CAP, and how much they are prepared to pay it. That debate needs to be inclusive and co-operative, taking account of all the interests involved.

Crossrail Bill

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 15 June (WA 129), why the regulatory impact assessment of Crossrail considered a Transport and Works Act Order as well as primary legislation for Crossrail, when the Department for Transport Crossrail Hybrid Bill process information paper stated that the "Transport and Works Act is not available for government schemes"; and
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 15 June (WA 129), how the then Minister of State could declare, in the Crossrail Bill regulatory impact assessment (RIA), that the "benefits justify the costs" of the Crossrail scheme, when the RIA only addresses the relative cost of authorising Crossrail by means of a Hybrid Bill rather than by a Transport and Works Act Order; and
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 15 June (WA 129), where in the regulatory impact assessment (RIA) of Crossrail consideration was given to the impacts of the project, with reference to his statement that the RIA "considered . . . the need for primary legislation to implement the project, and the impacts this will have".

Lord Davies of Oldham: As I stated in my Written Answer of 15 June (WA 129), the regulatory impact assessment (RIA) of the Crossrail Bill considered the need for primary legislation to implement the project, and the impacts that this legislative process would have. An alternative approach to obtaining approval for the project would have been for a third party to seek an order under the Transport and Works Act 1992. Both options were therefore considered in the Crossrail Bill RIA.
	The Crossrail Bill RIA concludes that the benefits that would be derived from seeking primary powers for the implementation of the Crossrail project via a Hybrid Bill justify the costs of doing so. An assessment of the costs and benefits of the Crossrail project was made in the Review of the Crossrail Business Case (July 2004).

Economic Growth and Road Traffic

Lord Roberts of Conwy: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 28 June (WA 15), what is the evidence that the link between economic growth and road traffic has weakened in recent years; and what statistics they have to illustrate this.

Lord Davies of Oldham: This information can be found in the following reports commissioned by DfT.
	Review of Income and Price Elasticities in the Demand for Road Traffic by Mark Hanly, Joyce Dargay and Phil Goodwin, UCL, March 2002.
	Development of an Aggregated Transport Forecasting Model (ATFM) by Joyce Dargay, Phil Goodwin and Mark Hanly, UCL, September 2002.
	Review of Income and Price Elasticities of Demand for Road Traffic by Daniel Graham and Stephen Glaister, Imperial College, July 2002.
	Copies of the reports have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Housing: The Groves, Liverpool

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What assessment they have made of the representations of the Lodge Lane Regeneration Group, Toxteth, Liverpool, concerning the future of the Groves; how many of the empty properties in this area are owned by housing associations; and what consideration they have given to requiring these properties to be placed for sale on the open market with priority given to local residents who wish to become owner-occupiers.

Baroness Andrews: I am not aware of any representations from the Lodge Lane Regeneration Group concerning the future of the Groves being received by Her Majesty's Government, although I understand that written evidence from the group was submitted earlier this year to the ODPM Select Committee's inquiry into empty homes and low demand pathfinder. The committee's report has since been published. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will be responding to the Select Committee in due course.
	I understand, that of the 62 empty properties in the Groves, 19 are owned by housing associations; that the Liverpool City Council and its housing association partners are currently considering a number of options for regenerating the housing market in this area; and that this consideration involves local residents and the Lodge Lane Regeneration Group.

NHS: Amputations

Lord Brightman: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Warner on 26 May (WA 22), whether they consider that a wrong limb amputation is so tragic an event that information on occurrences should be held centrally.

Lord Warner: The Government agree that an amputation of a wrong limb is a tragic event. While information on such occurrences has not been systematically reported to a central patient safety database in the past, through the establishment of the National Patient Safety Agency and its national reporting and learning system we have set in train the necessary arrangements for the collection of such information at a national level.

NHS: Obesity and Slimming

Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their view of the development of slimming on referral by Greater and Central Derby primary care trusts and Slimming World; what assessment they have made of the success of this project and the number of primary care trusts currently offering such referral schemes; and what steps they intend to take to promote trusts' awareness and adoption of such schemes; and
	What progress has been made in ensuring that primary care trusts produce strategies to address the problem of obesity; what guidance and resources are made available to such trusts to assist them in producing such strategies; and whether that assistance includes information about slimming on referral.

Lord Warner: The Government are aware of the work of Slimming World in Greater and Central Derby primary care trust (PCT). The White Paper Choosing Health makes a commitment to look into the role the independent sector, including Slimming World and programmes such as slimming on referral, can play in providing effective behaviour change programmes.
	As part of the local delivery plan process, strategic health authorities are required to submit plans to tackle obesity. These have been received and are being assessed. The promised obesity care pathway, weight loss guide and obesity toolkit will help to support PCTs in delivering their plans, prior to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance in 2007.

Traffic Management: Reading

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have had any discussions with Reading Borough Council concerning a proposal to convert the inner distribution road to a one-way traffic system; and whether the proposal emanated from Reading Borough Council or the Department for Transport.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Officials have previously received presentations on the proposal and it has also been raised in general discussions on the future direction of transport within Reading. The proposal emanates for Reading Borough Council.